Today I Prayed

That's right.  Today I prayed.  Those close to me know this can't really be true.  They know I'm not the church going, prayer reciting type.  My adult church going, getting dressed up and attending a formal service at a house of worship days, have been limited to maybe once or twice a year for many years now.  Most of those times were for weddings, christenings, or funerals.  And my piety is... let's call it weak at best.

But those close to me also know that I have a strong sense of spirituality.  And I do reach out to the powers that be, whatever we may call them, on a very regular basis.  I do attend services very regularly, usually daily.  I meditate deeply and get myself into a trance-like state while I rev my body up into a comfortable frenzy in order to get closer to the powers that be, in order to feel the presence, if not touch, the other side.  I dance a familiar and contemplative dance.  Regularly I seek the solace of losing myself to the groove of the universe.  This is what I do when I run.

My church, my service, my moment with my gods, for a very very long time now for me, has been my running.  I feel most natural when I run.  I know that we are part of something bigger than ourselves when I run.  I talk to my deceased mother when I run.  I give thanks when I run.  I figure out exactly what it is I believe in when I run.  And this morning, six days after the frightful events at The Boston Marathon, time enough to have finally gotten some much needed sleep, I awoke with a need, a desire, to pray.

So I slipped on a pair of shorts, laced up my shoes, got my cap, sunglasses, and dug an old green Boston Marathon t-shirt from deep down in my running shirts drawer and headed out the door.  I also took my iPod Shuffle.  I don't always run with music.  I normally like to just get deep inside my own head, without distraction, when I run.  But I knew I'd want the choir there at this celebration.  And man, did they ever show up — The Ohio Players, Ali Kahn, Sinead O'Connor, Los Lobos, Ruben Blades, Caetano Veloso, Cassandra Wilson, Miles Davis, Little Milton — all of these and more, playing their asses off at my own private prayer session.  Yeah you right!

So, you may wonder what I prayed about.  I'm still sorting that out, thinking it through, so many things.  I'll elaborate more on those things once they become more clear to me.  One thing I am certain of though, is that I'll be out there praying regularly.  And sometimes I'll be out there praying with an incredible soundtrack.